Derby the Dog and his 3D printed legs

When Derby the dog was born in August 2013 with deformities in both of his front legs, he was almost sent to be euthanised. However, he has now been given a new lease of life thanks to the wonderful process known as 3D printing.

Instead of being put down, Derby was taken to a non-profit dog shelter called Peace and Paws Dog Rescue. From here, Tara Anderson, an employee at a 3D printing company in New Hampshire, fostered Derby and set about offering him a second chance in life using her 3D background.

To begin with, Derby was fitted with a cart that offered a little extra mobility but not enough to allow him to play and run freely with other dogs.

With the help of her colleagues at 3D systems, Tara set about designing and testing prosthetic legs for Derby to use. During the summer of 2014 though, another couple in Pennsylvania adopted Derby. This didn’t stop Tara seeing him though, and she would regularly visit, testing out different designs for Derby’s new legs.

After many trial-and-error attempts, the 3D printed prosthetics that Derby now uses are called ‘elbow cups’. These were designed in such a way that they were comfortable for Derby to wear, whilst also being durable enough to withstand his weight.

Derby can now run up to 3 miles a day wearing these new prosthetics and, in the video below, you can see how visibly happy he is when he is out and able to run around in them.

Tara is now hoping that this technology can be used to help other dogs with similar deformities.